The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list is an annual ranking of the best dining experiences around the world, voted by anonymous judges. The list inspires food lovers to travel just to try these top restaurants. Since it began, the 50 Best organization has released other lists, and in September of 2025, it finally announced the very first North America’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
Similar to how the World’s 50 Best list was curated, the North America awards are based on votes by 300 anonymous judges. Unlike the distinction of earning a Michelin star, there are no criteria, which means both fine dining restaurants and taco joints can be voted into the list if judges agree the restaurant represents one of the best dining experiences in the region. The North America’s 50 Best Restaurants list encompasses restaurants in the United States, Canada, and most of the Caribbean. While Mexico is geographically part of North America, it’s represented in the Latin America list and is therefore not part of this ranking.
Curious which restaurants rank among the best? Read below for the ten best restaurants in North America according to the 50 Best judges. From a farm-to-table restaurant in Canada to a Senegalese restaurant in New Orleans to a modern Korean tasting menu in New York, here are the crème de la crème of North America’s dining scene in 2025.
10. Le Veau d’Or – New York, NY
There’s seemingly an uncountable number of places to eat in New York City, so knowing which restaurants make it onto the North America’s 50 Best Restaurants list should help you narrow down the options. Entering the North America’s 50 Best Restaurants list at number 10 is Le Veau d’Or. This French bistro in New York City dates back to 1937 but reopened in 2024 under the direction of chefs Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr, who were founding chefs at two other New York institutions, Balthazar and Minetta Tavern.
Le Veau d’Or retains its decor of red banquettes and wood paneling, and the menu sticks to classic French cooking. The restaurant offers a three-course, prix fixe menu for $135 per person with options that include escargots Provencal or tripe for appetizers, and homard (lobster) Macedoine for the main course, among other things. For dessert, don’t miss the île flottante or floating island with meringue drizzled with caramel sitting on crème anglaise. At lunch, there’s a two-course menu for $85 per person.
The wine list features all-natural wines with a selection of biodynamic and organic French wines, along with a seasonal champagne menu. Le Veau d’Or is an intimate restaurant, so be sure to book a table when reservations are released fourteen days in advance. An à la carte menu is offered at the five-seat walk-in-only bar.
www.lvdnyc.com
+1 646 386 7608
129 E 60th St, New York, NY 10022
9. Le Bernardin – New York, NY
Ordering seafood is certainly the move at Le Bernardin, which makes number 9 on the list. The restaurant has long been known for its impeccable preparation of fish. In fact, when the original Le Bernardin opened in Paris in 1972 by siblings Maguy and Gilbert Le Coze, it only served fish. The two opened Le Bernardin in New York in 1986, and Chef Eric Ripert took over the kitchen in 1994, after the passing of Gilbert Le Coze. Ripert has maintained Le Bernardin’s quality and reputation as one of the best fine dining restaurants in New York since then, still with fish as the highlight.
When The Michelin Guide launched in New York in 2005, Le Bernardin received three stars, the highest accolade there is, and the restaurant has not lost a star in the twenty years since. During that time, it’s catered to some high-profile guests, including former first lady Laura Bush. Currently at Le Bernardin, diners have the option for a four-course prix fixe menu for $218 or an eight-course chef’s tasting menu for $350. The menu unsurprisingly focuses on seafood and might feature steamed lobster, grilled hiramasa, and Dover sole.
While you should certainly try the seafood here if you can, Le Bernardin also has a vegetarian tasting menu priced at $250 per person with flavorsome dishes like soba noodles with truffles. At lunch, the restaurant offers a three-course menu for $137 per person. It’s not quite the chef’s tasting menu, but it’s a more affordable way to taste what Le Bernardin is about.
www.le-bernardin.com
+1 212 554 1515
155 W 51st St, New York, NY 10019
8. SingleThread (Healdsburg, CA)
This fine dining restaurant is run by husband-and-wife team Kyle and Katina Connaughton, and what’s special about this duo is that they are a chef and a farmer. Chef Kyle Connaughton runs the kitchen at the restaurant while Katina Connaughton runs a 24-acre farm nearby that supplies produce to not only SingleThread but also other restaurants in the area. The farm is currently growing Kyoto carrots and red ace beets, among other things.
SingleThread’s tasting menu is heavily inspired by Japanese kaiseki dining, following on from Connaughton’s first culinary job as an apprentice at a Japanese restaurant in Los Angeles. One of SingleThread’s signatures is donabe, a sort of hot pot cooked in a traditional Japanese clay pot. Every dinner opens with an impressive selection of small bites that are presented like a botanical landscape.
In addition to ranking as the 8th best restaurant in North America, SingleThread also garnered the Sustainable Restaurant Award and the distinction of being the best restaurant in the West USA, and holds three Michelin stars. SingleThread’s tasting menu costs around $504, but it’s cheaper at $453 on Monday to Wednesday. Reservations are released on the first of every month for the following month.
singlethreadfarms.com
+1 707 723 4646
131 North St, Healdsburg, CA 95448
7. Kalaya (Philadelphia, PA)
Chef Tatip “Nok” Suntaranon may have gotten a late start in the restaurant world, having opened Kalaya in 2019 when she was 50 years old, but she wasted no time making an impression. Suntaranon previously worked as a flight attendant for 20 years before finally embracing her passion for cooking and opening Kalaya, named after her mother.
At Kalaya, Suntaranon serves the food of Southern Thailand, and pad thai is not to be found on the menu. Instead, you’ll find dishes like gaeng pae, a goat and lamb curry with toasted coconut, or fried curry squid called pla muk thod kreung. The presentation is also unlike other Thai restaurants, as it was Suntaranon’s goal to make Thai food more luxurious. There’s a family-style prix fixe available at $75 per guest, although the number of dishes you can choose from depends on the party size. In addition to fun, Thai-inspired cocktails, the bar program also showcases a herbal Thai street liquor called ya dong.
Kalaya’s success led the restaurant to move to a much larger space in 2022. Suntaranon’s cooking won her the James Beard Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic award in 2023, and TIME Magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people of 2025. She was also featured on Netflix’s “Chef’s Table.” In addition to Kalaya ranking 7th on the list, Suntaranon was also named as North America’s Best Female Chef this year.
kalayaphilly.com
+1 215 545 2535
4 W Palmer St, Philadelphia, PA 19125
6. Dakar NOLA – New Orleans, LA
One of the few Senegalese-focused restaurants in the United States, Dakar NOLA serves a tasting menu inspired by both Senegal and South Louisiana. Chef Serigne Mbaye grew up in Dakar, Senegal, and studied culinary arts at New England Culinary Institute before sharpening his skills at some of the country’s best restaurant,s including Commander’s Palace, Atelier Crenn, and Atelier Joel Robuchon. Mbaye finally returned to his roots with the opening of Dakar NOLA.
Dakar NOLA serves a seven-course, purely pescatarian menu that connects the story between Senegal and New Orleans, and that story is not just his own. After all, New Orleans’ Creole cuisine has deep roots in African cuisine. The restaurant won the James Beard award for Best New Restaurant in 2024, among other accolades. Not only is Dakar NOLA ranked sixth on the list, it was also named as the best in the South USA.
An important part of the experience at Dakar NOLA is the communal dining, where you will be seated with other guests on tables for six. Some of the courses are served family-style, designed to foster new connections. Of course, you do have the option to book a private table if you prefer. The tasting menu at Dakar NOLA costs $150 per person, regardless of the type of table you book, and wine pairing is another $100 (a non-alcoholic pairing option is available for $60).
www.dakarnola.com
+1 504 493 9396
3814 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70115
5. Tanière3 – Quebec City, Canada
The word “tanière” means “den,” and it’s a fitting name for the restaurant’s setting inside the historic stone vaults of Old Quebec City. The original restaurant was called La Tanière and was opened in 1977. It had undergone ownership changes and shuttered in 2015. The restaurant relaunched in 2019 and was named Tanière3, as it is the third iteration.
At Tanière3, Chef François-Emmanuel Nicol designs a 12 to 18-course tasting menu. The menu is kept as a mystery until each dish is revealed, but it celebrates specifically seasonal ingredients from the province of Quebec; the restaurant is committed to local sourcing. In fact, in the past, the restaurant didn’t even use olive oil, as none was produced in Quebec.
The immersive experience is part of the draw here, starting from entering the restaurant’s unmarked entrance using your own personal code, sent after booking. The dinner then moves from different spaces, starting from the Bar Vault to the Dessert Vault. The service and hospitality at this restaurant are also impeccable, earning it the Art of Hospitality Award this year. The tasting menu at Tanière3 costs $275 for guests seated in the Dining Room Cellar and $300 for the Chef’s Counter Cellar, not including wine pairing.
www.taniere3.com
+1 418 872 4386
7 Rue du Don-de-Dieu, Québec, QC G1K 3Z6, Canada
4. Smyth – Chicago, IL
Smyth is easily one of the best fine dining experiences in Chicago. It is one of only thirteen restaurants in the U.S. that hold three Michelin stars, after all. The restaurant is run by husband-and-wife team John and Karen Urie Shields, who’ve honed their cooking chops at other fine dining restaurants like Alinea and Charlie Trotter’s. After the couple met at Charlie Trotter’s, they ran a restaurant in rural Virginia called Town House, which gained national attention. The pair later returned to Chicago to open Smyth, named after the county in Virginia where Town House was located.
John Shields runs the kitchen at Smyth as the Executive Chef, while Karen Urie Shields is the Executive Pastry Chef. The menu at Smyth showcases local, seasonal ingredients, prepared in creative ways. Most of the produce used at the restaurant comes from a nearby farm, which the restaurant has developed a close relationship with. Dining at Smyth is not a cheap proposition, as the tasting menu starts at $420 per person (not including wine pairing for an extra $245), but that doesn’t stop diners from snagging reservations quickly. In addition to ranking as the 4th best North American restaurant on the list, Smyth also has three Michelin stars. The couple also runs The Loyalist downstairs from Smyth, offering more casual (and affordable) fare.
smythandtheloyalist.com
+1 773 913 3773
177 N Ada St #101, Chicago, IL 60607
3. Restaurant Pearl Morissette – Lincoln, Canada
Restaurant Pearl Morissette can be found at the Pearl Morissette Estate Winery in Canada’s Niagara region, in Ontario. It was opened in 2017 by chef-owners Daniel Hadida and Eric Robertson, who both started their careers in Toronto before working in Europe. After returning to Canada to open Restaurant Pearl Morissette, the restaurant became known for its French-inspired cuisine made with local, sustainable ingredients. A lot of produce also comes from the restaurant’s own regenerative farm, which is part of the 42-acre estate that also has its own peach orchard. In addition, it also works with local and regional suppliers. The two chefs are committed to using only Canadian ingredients, including Canadian caviar.
The restaurant offers a tasting menu, which costs $205 per person. There’s also the chef’s table, set in a private dining room, which offers an extended tasting menu for $265 per person. Of course, the menu is primarily paired with wines from the family-run winery where the restaurant is based, but you can also choose a non-alcoholic “garden pairing” featuring juices and kombucha crafted with seasonal fruits, vegetables, and herbs. While in the area, you can visit the restaurant’s bakery and cafe, RPM Bakehouse. The bakery uses flour made with grains grown in Ontario, and the coffee is sourced from Canadian roasters. The cafe also offers casual fare for breakfast and lunch, prepared with the same ethos employed at Restaurant Pearl Morissette.
restaurantpearlmorissette.com
+1 905 562 7709
3953 Jordan Rd, Jordan Station, ON L0R 1S0, Canada
2. Mon Lapin – Montreal, Canada
Montreal may be famous for smoked meat and poutine, but there’s far more to this city’s cuisine. Take Mon Lapin, which is ranked as the second-best restaurant in North America and the best in East Canada. Mon Lapin is run by a husband-and-wife team, Chef Marc-Olivier Frappier and sommelier Vanya Filipovic. It started as a 30-seat wine bar, and it’s still a pretty intimate affair even after doubling its size two years after opening. The original Mon Lapin was a no-reservations establishment that drew long lines, but the current version takes reservations (and they go quickly).
Instead of a multi-course tasting menu of a fine dining restaurant, the menu at this fun, neighborhood wine bar is a tight list of small plates that change daily, showcasing the best seasonal foods of the moment. One of the only things that always stays on the menu is the restaurant’s signature croque-petoncle, a grilled scallop croque served with green onion mayonnaise.
The wine list at Mon Lapin, which is also ever-changing, is impressive in its own right. In fact, Filipovic won the award for North America’s Best Sommelier this year. She curates a list of natural wines and champagnes from highly sought-after producers, as well as showcasing wines from Quebec’s growing wine scene.
vinmonlapin.com
+1 514 379 4550
150 Rue Saint-Zotique Est, Montréal, QC H2S 1L8, Canada
1. Atomix – New York, NY
Atomix, in New York City, serves a 12-course tasting menu of Chef Junghyun Park’s interpretation of modern Korean cuisine, which has previously featured dishes like tilefish served with maesaengi (Korean seaweed). The restaurant only has 14 seats, arranged around a U-shaped counter, so reservations are hard to come by, especially as Atomix keeps winning these accolades and awards.
As well as taking home the top award in North America, Atomix ranked highly on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, coming in at number 12. Chef Park and his wife, Ellia Park, want to further introduce Korean culture to the world. In addition to the menu that’s rooted in Korean cuisine, the dishes are also served on handmade ceramics sourced from Korea.
The tasting menu at the chef’s counter currently costs $385 per person. There’s also a bar tasting menu, served at the upstairs cocktail bar — completely different to the chef’s tasting menu, it’s prepared by Atomix’s R&D chefs and costs $285 per person, including a beverage tasting. Reservations open on the first of every month for the following month, right at 3 p.m. If you can’t snag a reservation for either, check out the $75 prix fixe menu at Atoboy, the Parks’ more casual sister establishment.
www.atomixnyc.com
104 E 30th St, New York, NY 10016
Dining and Cooking